Professor
by Scream4me
Summary: News of a mysterious new student flies through Hogwarts as another year commences. But, is he a new student, or something else? Whatever the case, he's not happy about being here.


Disclamer thingie: Harry Potter belongs to J/KRowling !

A/N: If the characters are a little OOC, sorry... I haven't been able to get my hands on the books for a while now. This doesn't really have any connection to the story in means of a definite time... so it's AU.

Chapter One

-----o-----

"Damn it's cold up here..." muttered the boy under his breath. He pulled at the brown and red scarf around his neck and tugged at the brim of his thick beanie. "Nothing like what the weather is at home at the moment..."

He placed one his gloved hands in his pockets with the other clinging onto a single old sports bag. He glanced around momentarily before stepping through what seemed like a solid pillar of brick and mortar. On the other side, he found a hidden train platform. Steam from the train billowed around the platform, covering much of the people boarding from view.

The boy shrugged at it and made his way to board.

"Watch it!" snapped a voice suddenly, making the boy step back.

The steam cleared a little, allowing him to see who he had bumped into.

"What are you staring at, jerk?" growled the girl before him. Her dark brown eyes flashed angrily as she stared up to where his eyes were hidden under his hair and beanie.

Suddenly, she seemed to pause as she looked him up and down. The young man before her was no previous student from Hogwarts- his skin was tanned and there were signs of toned muscles under the layers of clothing he wore.

"And what are _you_ staring at?" mimicked the boy in a husky tone. He raised an eyebrow along with his miffed look.

The girl gave an indignant sniff and flipped back some of her short, black hair before leaping up into the train.

The young man gave a small grumble before boarding as well. His first impressions of Hogwarts weren't turning out very good.

-----o-----

"Draco?"

"Yeah, Pansy, what is it...?"

"See, Draco? That's him, the one I told you about." Pansy pointed out to the hallway.

"A new kid," commented a teenaged-boy with slicked back blonde hair. His steel grey eyes watched as a boy wearing a scarf walked past. "Interesting..."

"I hope they put him in Hufflepuff," said the girl clinging to his arm, the one who had bumped into the boy outside before.

"Heh, he sure does look like loser," smirked Draco.

Pansy's eyes followed along as the boy disappeared from view.

-----o-----

Luna blinked as the door to her compartment slid open suddenly. The quill in her hand continued to work away at the runes puzzle before her though.

"Anyone sitting here?" muttered a tanned boy before helping himself to a seat. He was a little taken aback by the girl's strange, wide eyes.

Luna shook her head, "Not many people sit in this compartment."

"That's too bad. Guess I just have you for company then," he replied emotionlessly before going silent.

The quill continued to scratch away at the paper. Luna, unsure how to take his words, had fallen back into an almost-hypnotised state with her puzzle.

-----o-----

An hour into the journey, the door slid open once more and a freckle-faced girl with red hair peeked in.

"There you are, Luna. I was wondering where you were." The girl took a seat next to Luna and eyed the boy opposite her, who seemed to be napping. His shaggy brown hair with blond tips poked out from under a thick beanie and covered over his eyes. A ragged brown and red scarf wrapped around the bottom part of his face.

Luna continued to scratch away at the paper with her quill until the other girl nudged her, pulling her attention away from the extensive puzzle. "Oh... hello Ginny," she commented dreamily, "I was working on this rune puzzle. If I solve it, I will learn a secret about my future."

Ginny gave a fake-nod of enthusiasm, "That's nice, Luna. Uh, who's this?"

"I don't know," replied Luna with a slight shrug, "he just sat down."

"How old do you think he is?" Ginny whispered, keeping her eyes on him. "He looks to be about Ron's age. Think he's a new student?"

"Mm..." Luna replied vaguely before returning to her puzzle.

Ginny sighed. She gave the stranger one last look before exiting.

Unknown to her though, under that beanie and messy hair, one slightly open eye followed her.

-----o-----

Ginny sat down with a thump on the lumpy compartment seat. "There's some new guy on the train," she said to the three people around her- a boy with black hair, another with hair and freckles like her, and a girl with brown hair.

"First year?" asked her brother Ron, munching on a cauldron cake, courtesy of Harry.

Ginny shook her head, "No, he looks like he's your age, and definitely not from England. What do you think, Hermione?"

The brown haired girl looked thoughtful. "I think this could be a chance to learn about magic from other countries, don't you think, Harry?"

Harry gave a half-hearted shrugged before tucking into a new cauldron cake.

Hermione sighed.

-----o-----

The train ground to a halt outside the station, allowing the students of Hogwarts, both new and old, off to look up at the castle above them. Many wondered what would come this year- knowledge, adventures, new love... The one thing many did recognise was the arrival of the stranger; news of him had spread fast, along with rumours (thanks to Pansy Parkinson).

As the young man hopped off the train, still bundled up in his layers of clothing, people whispered to each other. They continued to whisper even after he had disappeared into a carriage that trundled up towards the castle.

-----o-----

"Hey, I wonder where that new guy is?" Ron looked around the Grand Hall, trying to spot him. "I didn't get a very good look at him when he got off the train."

"I heard that he's dreamy," sighed Lavender to Parvati.

"I heard that he's foreign. I hope he's from Spain, or Italy," Parvati sighed as well. The two burst into giggles.

Hermione rolled her eyes secretly at them before eyeing the teacher's table up the front. As usual, there was an empty seat. "Speaking of new," she interrupted, "we'll also be getting another Defence against the Dark Arts teacher."

"You're right. Bloody hell, I almost forgot... oh, sorry Hermione..." Ron apologised to the girl after she sent him a scowl. "Whoever it is though, I bet they're just as nutty as the last ones."

"Professor Lupin was not 'nutty', Ron," Hermione replied.

"Oh, come on, Hermione," Lavender pursed her lips, "you have to admit Professor Lupin had his 'quirks' as well."

"Welcome back to the new term, students. It is a pleasure to see you all again," announced a voice from the front. Headmaster Dumbledore was standing with a smile on his wrinkled face. "Well, let's skip the formalities, shall we? I am rather ravenous tonight, as I am sure you all are."

The oak doors of the hall swung open as the first years entered, led by a venerable woman with thin-rimmed glasses. Out the front, a musty old hat on a stool was placed.

-----o-----

The Headmaster nodded in approval as the Sorting Hat was taken back to wait away until the next year. Though he may not have looked to be sharp of hearing, the old man caught titbits of conversation from the four main tables- most of which concerned a "new student" of sorts, and to an extent, some wondering on who was the next Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Dumbledore gave a small chuckle. All would be revealed the next day.

-----o-----

A/N: Erm... how was that?


End file.
